Darker than Black: Kagutsuchi
by allietheepic7
Summary: Based on Dark Flower: A single letter changes all of time. Instead of Harry being raised by the Dursleys, he's raised by Mikhail Pavlichenko, Suou and Shion's father. In a time paradox of epic proportions, Harry must fight contractors and Russia's version of Death Eaters in order to protect his siblings and change Season 2 for the better.
1. Chapter 1

**Darker than Black: Kagutsuchi**

 **A Harry Potter Darker than Black Crossover**

 **By Allietheepic7**

 **Prologue**

It was a perfectly normal day in the perfectly normal town of Little Whining at the perfectly normal house of Number 4, Privet Drive. Petunia Dursley nee Evans, a perfectly normal housewife _thank-you-very-much_ , spied at her neighbors through the lace curtains. Just minutes ago, the postman had dropped off a package on her front step and Petunia knew that her neighbors would be gossiping about it until something new happened. She sneered to herself. If it had been anyone else, she'd be gossiping along with them, but when it was her it was just annoying.

Petunia straightened and brushed imaginary lint off her flora dress before opening her door to be inspected by her peers. She faked surprise at the box, her mask never slipping as she delicately crouched to pick up the small parcel. Her eyes scanned the surrounding houses as she turned around and went back inside.

As soon as she was safe inside, Petunia ripped into the cardboard with her manicured nails. Inside it was a diary with a brown leather cover and a heavy parchment letter with her name on it in flowing, familiar cursive. With an ominous feeling of dread, Petunia opened the letter. It read:

 _Dearest Tunie,_

 _I know you hate me and I know I'm the last person you want to hear from, but something terrible is going to happen._

 _My husband, James, and I have been in hiding for over a year now and I think we're going to die soon. I can't shake this feeling. I'm so scared and I don't know what's going to happen. James says that there is nothing to worry about, but he feels it too._

 _Petunia, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I let my magic come between us and ruin our friendship. I've always regretted it and I hope you can forgive me._

A tear fell onto the parchment and Petunia stubbornly wiped her eyes.

 _Petunia, I don't know what will happen, but if Harry, my son, ever comes to you,_ _ **get him out of England**_ _. Send him to our relatives in Russia if you have to just keep him away from Dumbledore. That man has manipulated our lives for far too long. No more._

 _I love you, Tunie._

 _Love, Lily_

Six days later, Petunia wasn't even surprised when she found a baby on front step. Ignoring her husband's protests, she began calling every family member she could find. None could take him in, but she kept trying, even forgetting to go to the new neighbor's for tea as she tried to find a safe place for her nephew. Finally, she found Mikhail Pavlichenko, a distant cousin on her mother's side of the family, who was having difficulty conceiving with his wife.

The couple was ecstatic. They caught the first plane to England as Petunia got the custody papers ready. Vernon grumbled about all the effort they were putting forth for a freak, but Petunia merely took care of Harry along with her little Duddykins.

Soon, Harry's new parents arrived. They seemed nice enough. The wife was good with Harry, always smiling at him and held him easily, and Mikhail was obviously intelligent and, Petunia thought jealously, wealthy. But she signed over her custody with no argument and watched wistfully as Mikhail's wife, Asako, carried a sleeping Harry back to their rented car.

Was this the right choice? It's what Lily wanted; Harry was going to Russia with family. Maybe she should have kept him.

Fourteen years later, as her family was being slaughtered by freaks in masks, Petunia knew she should have kept Harry. But by then, it was too late.

 **Brief Timeline**

 **1983: Hei born**

 **1991: Harry born**

 **1997: Bai becomes a contractor/Suou and Shion born/ Gates appear**

 **2001: Mao loses his body**

 **2002: Harry turns 11/Heaven's Gate disappears**

 **2007: Season 1/Meteor strike**

 **2009: Season 2**


	2. Chapter 2 Episode 1

**Chapter 1 Episode 1**

"Look, a meteor!"

Harry smiled as his little brother, Shion, pointed up at the beautiful night sky. The twins were opposite of Harry, who was huddled up against Papa for protection from the cold winter night. Despite the cheery fire and warm stew, Harry couldn't suppress a body-shaking shiver.

Papa frowned and hugged the 16-year-old closer. He had wanted Harry to stay at home, since his sickness was always aggravated by the snow and cold. But Harry had insisted on coming. He didn't want to be shut up in the house for another vacation, being taken care of by one of Papa's scientists. So even if he was too exhausted to move tomorrow with a fever and cough, Harry would still consider it worth it.

Suou, his little sister, glanced around for the falling star. "Huh? Where?"

"Hey, Papa, is it really true that if you say a wish three times before a meteor disappears, it'll come true?" Shion asked.

Papa took a sip of his stew. "That's just an old superstition they believe in Japan. Your mother was the one who first told me about it. They've got a lot of superstitions. They've even got charms that are supposed to make you grow tall or pretty."

"Really?" Suou exclaimed excitedly. She clapped her hands together and turned her large, hopeful green eyes up towards the heavens, desperate to catch sight of a shooting star.

Harry laughed. "Oh, Suou, you're already the prettiest girl in the world. What are you wishing for?"

"It's a secret!"

Shion turned to Papa. "So then, is it true that the only time meteors fall is when somebody dies?"

Harry bit his lip. "Maybe," Papa said, "But what I can tell you is back when we could still see the real stars, that was only a fairy tale."

"Look, another one!"

"What? Where?"

Stars began falling. First only one at a time, then in twos and threes, until the entire sky was streaked by meteors falling. Harry stood up, looking at the sky with a mix of awe and horror. "Papa?"

"So, it's begun…"

The entire sky was bright now, like daytime. The ground trembled as the light came closer and closer. Harry belatedly realized what it was. "No!" Harry lunged uselessly at his siblings as the meteor crashed into the earth.

"Harry! Suou!" Mikhail screamed as he desperately searched through the rubble for his children. He spotted one lying on his side. "Shion!" Mikhail skidded to his son's side. Shion was bleeding and his eye was swelled shut. "Shion! Shion!"

Shion struggled to open one eye and speak.

"Where's Suou?"

* * *

 _It's been two years since that fateful night—the night that's gone down in history as the "Tokyo Explosion."_

 _The same night Shion became a Contractor. The same night Harry became…different._

 _It's strange how easily your entire life can change in a single night. Harry knows this better than most. He was incredibly sick for 6 years before that night and now he is completely healthy and more._

 _My generation has never seen the real stars of the night sky. They vanished 12 years ago when the Gates appeared in Tokyo and Brazil. The one in Tokyo is called "Hell's Gate," and the one in Brazil was known as "Heaven's Gate." The Gates cause all sorts of strange, unexplainable phenomena, and it's dangerous for people to even get near them._

 _The world's a different place than it used to be. Part of it had to do with the war. We didn't feel the effects to badly over here, but change is just around the corner—_

* * *

"Hey!" Suou yelled and raced up to the tree next to Petya's window. The cat perched on its branch yowled as she chased it off, its bell collar jingling. Suou panted as Bella, one of her Papa's scientists, opened the door.

"Welcome home, Suou. What's wrong?"

"Hey, Bella. I just chased off a cat that was after Petya."

"Really? We better keep the window closed."

"How's Harry been today?"

The British woman held the door open for the tiny redhead, her gold eyes warm. "He stayed in his room for most of the day, doing school work and exercising." Suou hung up her coat and took her shoes off by the door. "They only time he's been out of his room was to make dinner."

"Betraying me to my own sister! How could you Bella?" Harry joked as he stepped out of the kitchen. In an instant, his arms were full with his baby sister. "Stop worrying, dear. How was school? Are all your friends okay? Was lunch good?"

Suou rolled her eyes good naturedly as Harry mother-hened over her. "Yes, "Mother," everyone's fine. Guess what happened today! Someone at school asked Tanya to go out with him."

"Really?" Bella asked, "Who was it?"

"Do I need to threaten them?" Harry added playfully.

"It was Nika! I couldn't believe it!"

"Are you serious? But I thought Nika was your boyfriend."

"No! We're just friends!"

Bella and Harry exchanged one of those "she's-so-cute" looks that sent Suou fuming. "Hmm…well, that's not how it looked," Harry said.

"He is not!"

"Well there has to be some boy that you do like. Who is it?"

"You know I don't like anyone!" Mother figures. Ugh!

* * *

 _I don't really understand it, but the sky disappeared 13 years ago. We have an artificial sky now, a replacement sky. But there is one thing I do know for certain:_

 _The stars we now see…each one represents the life of a contractor._

* * *

Suou stood hesitantly outside Shion's secret room. To anyone else, it would just be a bare hallway with a weird security pad. She knocked on the wall with one hand, the other holding some stew. "I've brought some dinner for you."

"Come in," a voice said. Suou typed in the security code and the door opened. Shion turned around in his wheelchair to face her and smiled, though his one visible seemed emotionless. "Hello, Suou. How was your day?"

She closed the door behind her and placed his food on the table holding his laptop. "Hey Shion. It was good."

"Are you still wearing your lucky charm?"

Suou nodded and took out the necklace. Shion asked about this every time he saw her. It gave her hope that her brother wasn't cruel or uncaring like people always thought Contractors were. After all, why would a Contractor care about a good luck charm? The charm itself was an orange glass disk on a chain that Shion and Papa had given her 2 years ago. "I always have it."

As Suou told Shion about her day as he ate, she couldn't help feeling pity for her contractor brother. Harry, who was stuck at home from 10 to 16 because of how sick he was, always preferred to stay inside, out of habit more than anything else. But Shion…Shion was never let out of his room. So Suou took as many pictures as she could for him, so he could see the outside world.

"Love, huh?" Shion said. "Now that's one emotion I can't logically sort out. It's just a hormonal reaction to another person's pheromones, yet people hinge their whole lives upon it."

"It's more than that!" Suou snapped. "It brings people together." Shion gave her a weird look. "Uh…what?"

"Nothing. I just think it's cute that you're able to believe in such fantasies that's all."

Suou pouted. "Hey, stop that. Don't make fun."

"You've got to wake up someday, Suou. Just as Papa and Mama did."

"Oh! I found Mama's new book." Suou took out the book filled with pictures of Japan and Hell's Gate. "It looks like she's doing well. I was thinking…we should go see Mama in Japan. Don't you think?"

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

Shion turned back to his computer. "She wouldn't serve any necessary function in my life right now. Besides, even with his sickness, Harry's been a far better Mother than she ever was. I thought you realized it as well, considering how often you call him Mother."

"It's just a nickname, stupid!" Suou ran into her father as she stormed out of the room, shocking her out of her anger. He quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the door. "Papa?"

"I've warned you not to spend time in there." He was angry, she realized, and scared.

"But Papa, Shion is my twin brother. He'd never try to hurt me."

"He doesn't care that you're his sister. He doesn't see things that way anymore and you will get hurt if you don't understand that."

"I won't! He's my brother!"

Papa noticed the book she was holding. "Her book? Suou, you can't keep buying those."

"I just—she's waiting for us! I know she is!"

"Suou!" Papa grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Stop this dreaming and wake up. Time only moves in one direction, and there's no going back." Sobbing, Suou broke out of his grip and ran to Harry's room.

He was sitting at his desk doing school work when Suou jumped him. She buried her face in his long, black hair and tried to muffle her sobs. Harry swiveled around and embraced her, rubbing her back and saying comforting nonsense. "What's wrong?" he whispered as she crawled into his lap like she'd do when she was 6.

"A-Are cont-tractors…heartless?"

Harry tightened his grip on her. Of course… "No, I don't think so." Suou looked up, surprised. "But their heart isn't first on their list of priorities. They can't help forming attachments just like the rest of us…but most of the time, their rationality will win. However, I suspect…that if a contractor truly cares about someone, like Shion does for you and me, they would move mountains for us."

Neither sibling noticed the gold-eyed woman standing in the hallway. And if her eyes were a little shinier than normal…well, the walls weren't going to tell anyone.

* * *

 _Without any warning, your entire life can change in a single night. And there's nothing you can do about it._

* * *

Suou didn't realize that she was crying as she ran through the snow, towards home. There are no signs to warn of the sudden transformation into a Contractor. The personality is significantly altered after the transformation and they become highly unpredictable. And by tomorrow…she probably wouldn't remember Tanya…

Someone grabbed her from behind and put a hand over her mouth before she could scream. Suou struggled and buried her elbow into her attacker's ribs. "Ah! Suou!"

"Harry?"

Harry spun her around so she could get a good look at him. He seemed frantic, almost unhinged like…

Something bad had happened.

He threw his arms around her and crushed her to his chest. "Oh, God. I was so worried!" he said. "There are police and military outside the house. I think Shion and Papa are still inside."

"We have to get them out!"

Harry pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I guess there is no use trying to talk you out of it, is there? Come on."

The two ran for the shed that held one of the many secret passages that led to the house. Fortunately they weren't spotted and they were soon racing through the silver chrome halls with Harry dragging Suou along. "Shion's room first!"

Harry gave no sign that he heard her, but adjusted his course accordingly. The secret passage opened up to an empty room, but that didn't keep Harry from entering it. He fished out some of Shion's clothes and threw them at Suou. "Put those on. You'll blend in easier as a boy than a girl."

Suou complied and Harry turned away in an attempt at privacy. Once she was finished, her hair safely tucked into her hood, they escaped back into the passage. "We should stop by my room," Harry told her. "I have some money saved up. It should be enough to get us to the rondevu."

She nodded; the rondevu was always Tokyo, right near the Gate. Papa told them to go there if they were ever separated. Soon they were in Harry's room. He grabbed his wallet from underneath his mattress and was about to return to the passageway when he heard someone talking in the hall. Glancing back at Suou, he placed a finger to his lips and crept forward so he could hear.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Papa? Harry shifted closer.

"I'll ask the questions. Where's the meteor core?" Who was that? He sounded…dark. Dark and cold. "Shion, was it? Tell me where Shion is."

Rage and fear welled in Harry. How dare this… _person_ threaten _his_ little brother! He was so furious that he barely noticed Suou crawling up behind him, but he didn't miss Papa's next words.

"He's not here. He escaped."

"Then I have no further need for you."

Light flashed brightly and Papa screamed before deadweight crashed to the ground sickeningly. Harry slapped a hand over Suou's mouth in case she screamed and gave away their location. Quietly, he cracked open the door.

Papa lay face down on the carpet. The hall was empty, the other man having disappeared. Harry fell next to his father and pressed a finger to his wrist. No pulse. Blinking away his tears, he snatched away his hand and tried to find the pulse on Papa's neck. Nothing.

No! He couldn't! Not Papa! Biting his lip, Harry looked back at Suou kneeling in the doorway, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. He…he had to stay strong. For Suou. He was going to be strong for Suou and Shion and get them out of this mess.

Suddenly, a familiar woman appeared from the secret passage and ran up to check Papa's…body herself. "Professor! Damn it, he's dead. No external wounds, no vomit. No other signs of murder. It can't be…"

The blue haired woman looked at him and Harry realized why she felt so familiar. Her eyes were the same as Bella's. She looked past him, to Suou. "My name is April, I work for MI6. But I'm sure you already knew that. Shion, tell me what happened here. Do you know how the professor died?"

"Bella?"

B-April's eyes widened. She grasped Suou by the shoulders. "Suou? Where's Shion? You have to tell me."

"I don't know."

"Papa planned for something like this," Harry said, drawing their attention. "If the house was ever attacked, we're to meet up in Tokyo. I don't know if Shion will go, but…it's worth a shot."

April nodded. The heavy sound of footsteps was approaching. "Come on!" She grabbed Suou and sprinted for the passage with Harry at her heels. The three raced at a breakneck pace through the blindingly white halls as explosions echoed behind them. Soon, they reached the end of the tunnel and emerged in the middle of the forest.

They wasted no time and continued running. Suou could barely keep up; she was only a kid, not a secret agent like April, or was a work out fanatic like Harry could be. Suddenly, a blond man slammed into a tree in front of them, wearing a long, green cloak and holding a bag of…hamburgers?

"Hold it right there," Burger-man said. "I need you three to come with me. Cooperate, and I'll even share some of these with you." He held out his bag.

April whipped out a gun and shot at him. Harry gasped as the man glowed blue and blurred with some type of super speed. He ran around the clearing until he hit a tree. "Do you have to fight?" He whined as he bit into one of his burgers. "I really don't want to eat this entire bag of hamburgers."

Gritting his teeth, Harry grabbed Suou and tried to run, only to be caught by the Contractor. He slammed Harry up against a tree and leered. "There's no point running, tootsie. Come on, I'm already going to be sore tomorrow as it is. Unless you want to help me with that…"

Harry glared, shaking with anger. Just because he had long hair and a vaguely feminine face does not mean he was a woman! Something familiar snapped in his chest and the pervert's eyes widened when something grabbed him from behind and threw him into a snowdrift.

April began to glow with Synchrotron radiation. "A Contractor," the man griped. "What a nuisance."

She gestured up to the sky and her eyes flared read as the man took off running. Rain fell from the swirling clouds before he could stop.

Blood splattered the snow.

Harry panted as he ran back to Suou and April. Suou was staring at the corpse, horrified, while April got out a flask and took a few desperate gulps from it. Her contract, he assumed. "I wish I hadn't done that," she said, then looked at him. "Your file didn't mention that you were a wizard."

"I'm a what?"

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "You mean you don't know—"

A branch snapped behind them. Harry whipped around, his heart pounding in anticipation of another fight.

A man emerged from the shadows and Harry's breath caught in his throat. He wore a long, tattered coat and his hair was the same length and color as Harry's. He had a mask on, snow white with a violet lightning bolt over his eye, almost like the one that scarred Harry's forehead. A dash of red paint created his mouth, like the one underneath was pressed into a grim line of determination.

April gasped. "It's you…" She whispered, and then positioned herself in front of them in a futile attempt to shield them from the man's view.

"BK-201…"


	3. Chapter 3 Episode 2

**Chapter 2 Episode 2**

Distance: 250 meters. Wind velocity: 1.5, blowing east to west. Remember to breathe. Slow and steady. Breathe quietly. Now fire."

Suou jerked, but didn't pull the trigger. She…couldn't. The elk stared at her from all the way on the mountain. It was…too alive. "Fire!"

The elk ran.

* * *

 _Two things happened on the night of the Tokyo Explosion._

 _One, Shion became a contractor. He gained the ability to copy anything, even people, but his price was the loss of his legs. I don't know what he created; Shion and Papa refuse to tell Harry and I. But I know that it's important._

 _Two, Harry got well again. I didn't notice at first, no one really did, not until he came to pick me up from school one day without wheezing and coughing. And then other things began happening. Harry began to make things float with his mind. Electronics sometimes exploded when he touched them. And I once caught Harry hold a fire in his hand like it didn't even burn him._

 _Harry's weird, but he's not a contractor and he's still my brother. I promised to always protect my brothers no matter what, and I'd overcome anything that got in my way._

* * *

Suou hid behind Harry as the masked contractor stalked closer to April and them. She could feel him _staring_ at her, like her life meant nothing to him. "Shion Pavlichenko." Suou flinched at the sound of his cold, hard voice. It…it was the same man who killed Papa… "The meteor core…give it to me."

April glanced over her shoulder at them, her pupils glowing red. "Run."

Harry grabbed Suou's hand and bolted as April's body radiated blue. Wind howled round them and rain crashed to the ground behind them. His grip on Suou was strong and sure. Suddenly, the man appeared in front of them and Harry reared back. He reached for Suou, but Harry struck him in the face, knocking is mask free. Suou snapped a picture and Harry caught sight of a gaunt face and bloodshot eyes before they were running again. They had to get away. He had to get them away, someplace safe, far away—

CRACK!

The ground fell out from under their feet and the siblings were subjected to the painful sensation of being sucked into a straw. They landed on their hands and knees and Harry retched. Suou wasn't so lucky and puked onto the snow-covered concrete.

He glanced around. Where there had been forest was now replaced by an alleyway, lit only by the flickering streetlamp by the road. Suou wiped her mouth. "Mother? Where are we?"

"The city, I think," he whispered. Harry crouched low as a tank passed their alley. Fortunately, the shadows were deep and the tank's occupants didn't see them. He bit his lip. They couldn't possibly be looking for them, right? …No, they thought Suou was Shion and knew that Shion was a contractor. The government would do anything to get their hands on more contractors, especially since April just killed one…

Oh, God. April. They just left her to face that contractor alone. Sure, they didn't know if that man was a good fighter or not, but…something told Harry that they had just signed their friend's death warrant by leaving her there.

Suou looked up at her brother. He'd been silent for a while now… "So you can teleport now?" She laughed even though it wasn't funny, trying to make Harry smile. "Is there anything you can't do?" she teased.

"Sew, draw, sing, etc…" Harry smiled as Suou giggled, but it quickly feel when he heard the sound of voices approaching their hiding place. He looked at Suou. Judging by the way she'd pressed her lips shut, she'd heard them too. "Let's go."

Peeking out of the alley, they determined that it was clear and ran. Suou pulled her hood up and Harry twisted his hair into a tight braid, trying to disguise himself. They were walking down an empty street when a man with poufy hair and a tan trench coat stepped in front of them.

"Well, good evening," he said. They stared blankly at him. "Uhh…Zdravstvuyte. Ni hao? How 'bout Guten Abend? Anything? Did any of those click for you? That's all I've got."

"Who are you people?" Suou asked, stepping in front of Harry, much to his distaste. "What do you want from us?"

"It's always the first guess," the man said, smirking. He held out his hands in a nonthreatening gesture that was totally contrary to his leer. "Perfect. I don't want to hurt you, kid, so I'm going to ask you to please come with me. Nice and quiet—AHH!"

A cat, black with a red collar, jumped the man from behind and began scratching his head. Suou and Harry grabbed a garbage can and threw it over his head. The cat scampered off as they ran away again.

They ran and ran for what felt like hours. Suou insisted on trying to stay with their friends, but neither one remembered her, much to her horror. M.E. They stumbled through the cold streets in the early morning until they ran into someone neither Suou nor Harry could expect.

"Suou? Harry?"

"Nika!" Suou smiled brightly for the first time that night. "You said my name! You know me!"

Nika looked at her, confused. "We've known each other for years. Of course I do—" Suou suddenly clutched Nika to her chest and started crying while Harry smiled tiredly. "Aah…whoa…are you okay, Suou?"

* * *

A long time ago, Harry remembered how Suou told him about playing in Nika's base. She, Nika, and Tanya would spend hours playing in there before Suou came home to tell him all about it. Never did he think he'd see it, let alone be hiding from the military in it.

Harry watched Nika move around the base, looking for food. Suou was curled up beside him, silent. "What the hell is going on around here? I called every one of our friends trying to find Tanya and not a single one of them remembers who she is. Then I saw all those fire engines at your house. Your dad wasn't hurt, was he? You hear me, Suou?"

Suou pressed closer to Harry as Nika dumped some candy on the floor. "Bad news: there's nothing but junk food left. But still, junk food is better than no food." He turned to them and crouched next to Suou. "Alright? Come on, Suou…"

Suddenly, Suou shot up and screamed at the top of her lungs. Harry and Nika flinched. "That's enough feeling sorry for myself!"

"Suou?"

She swept all kinds of stuff off Nika's desk with a crash and slammed a huge stack of paper on it. She grabbed his anti-tank rifle. "I'm using your desk, okay?"

"Careful with that! It's an extremely powerful rifle! That thing can destroy a tank!"

Suou inspected it, almost like she was considering using it. "Hmm…it's just a toy." She tossed it away and grabbed marker. "I'm going to make him pay for everything he's done!"

* * *

 **Fugitive Fiancé**

 **This conman is on the run after stealing my sister's chastity and her savings.**

 **Please contact his address if you see him.**

"Are you sure, Suou?" Nika asked as she and her brother put up more posters. "This seems dangerous."

"'Your fears will control you if you don't face them.'" They quoted in union. Suou continued. "It's an old Japanese proverb. Apparently, it was my mom's favorite saying."

"Why is that?"

"Because it's better to act than to think," Harry said. "Hey, you're not making me play the part of the sister, right?"

"Well, I don't look old enough to have a fiancé."

" _Well, I don't look old enough to have a fiancé."_ Harry mocked. "It anyone at all cares, I'm not actually a woman!"

"Yes, Mother," Suou droned before she and Nika burst out laughing. Harry's eye twitched, but he couldn't help smiling. A night of sleep doesn't do much in the way of emotional healing, but it does help put things in priority and makes everything seem less grim.

"I was thinking…" Nika said. "You said that you saw the military take Tanya into custody, right?"

"Yeah."

"It's just…I…"

Suou understood what he was trying to say. "It's okay. I understand, Nika, just be careful."

* * *

They were in a different part of town, putting up more posters, when someone attacked Harry from behind. It was the masked contractor. He pushed Harry aside and grabbed Suou, holding her to the wall with a knife to her throat. Harry froze in fear.

Suou trembled in fear, but that didn't stop her from speaking. "I didn't expect it to work out like this, but this does make things easier... I bet you're angry, huh? You want to kill me, don't you? Well I'd like to see you try. I'll spread these pictures all over the internet for the world to see. I—I've already worked out all the arrangements. So if I wind up missing, that's what's going to happen. And that's the truth."

"Shion Pavlichenko…" His voice was like cold knives, not unlike the one at her throat. "Give me the meteor core. Hand it over and I'll let you and your brother live."

"You'll kill us no matter what!" Suou shouted. "All contractors are liars! I won't fall for your lies!" The contractor became impatient and, after putting away his knife, ripped open her coat. "Hey! What are you doing!?"

"Where's the core?" He searched her pockets before moving onto her shirt.

"No! Stop! No!" His hand groped her chest and he reared back in shock, releasing Suou. Harry took his chance and punched him in the face. BK-201 fell on his back as Suou slid down the wall. "What kind of sick creep are you!?"

"You're not…"

"Where is my brother!?" Suou screamed as Harry helped her up. "Why did you murder our father!? Did you kill Bella too!? You killed them both!" Tears flowed down her face. "You did it like it was nothing. You're inhuman!"

"I'm a contractor." His reply wasn't believable, as though he didn't even believe it, like it was just something he told himself so he could sleep at night.

Harry glared, his jaw tight. "That's a pathetic excuse and you know it. Being a contractor doesn't take away your humanity or your emotions. It's your own actions that make you inhuman, not your Contract or your rational thought process. You killed our father, our brother is missing, and the military is after us for God knows why, but none of it matters because I still have my sister and there's no way in hell that I'm going to let her get hurt. We have nothing to do with your mission, so make up your mind. Kill us or leave us alone."

He could feel the contractor's eyes on him as the man stood up. Harry thought he was going to speak when multiple guns clicked from the alley entrance. "Don't move. Hands on your head. You've made things easy for us, Shion. We're grateful. Come with us, and we'll return the favor. You'll have our protection."

Suou froze, her eyes flickering between her brother and the contractor (who were standing far too close for her comfort) and back to the military men. She inched backwards. "No way. You're the ones who took Tanya."

"Your attention, gentlemen." The sudden voice had everyone looking at a shipping container where a long haired blond dressed in flamboyant red stood on top. "Sorry to say, but Shion and the young miss are leaving with me."

Harry grit his teeth. "I'm not a woman, moron…" He grumbled under his breath.

The man who'd spoken for the army sneered. "Another contractor? And this one's not even hiding from us."

"Well, that just goes with being a Magician. What's the point performing without an audience?"

The man turned in disgust, apparently done with the new contractor. "Shoot."

The military opened fire on the contractor and Suou flinched in Harry's arms, fully expecting to see the contractor die a horrible death. His body glowed and the air in front of him distorted right before the bullets hit him. She gasped as the distortion at the bullets, then spat them back out, mowing down some of the army. The contractor smiled. "Not bad, eh?"

Suddenly, Harry scooped up Suou and ran in the opposite direction. "Stop them!" As the remaining soldiers shot at them, Harry tripped, crashing to the ground. He tensed, trying to cover Suou with as much as his body as he could so she wouldn't be hurt. But…nothing had happened. Harry looked behind him to see…

The masked contractor was hovering over them, bullets ricocheting off his coat. Harry stared in awe and fear. He…he thought the other man was going to kill them. Why did he save them?"

The blond smirked. "The show has just begun."

"Go!" Harry jerked at their protector's voice, far more full of emotion than he's ever heard it, but picked up Suou again and raced into the maze of shipping containers with him at his heels.

Suou struggled in Harry's arms. "Put me down!" she said. "As soon as they find out that I'm not Shion, they'll let us go!"

"They _will_ kill you," The contractor said. "It's the most rational decision they could make."

Harry squeezed Suou tightly before letting her down at an intersection of containers. They stopped to catch their breath and Harry looked at the man who had saved them. "What's your name?" he asked.

The contractor hesitated before replying with a single word. "Hei." Harry nodded. This…this _Hei_ …he didn't know if they could trust him. He had killed Papa…he probably killed Bella…who knows how many more _Hei_ had killed…

But he had saved their lives. Hei could have left them in the hands of the military or with that mysterious contractor…but he was protecting them instead, the more irrational decision. Maybe…when Harry had comforted Suou, he had been right, that contractors aren't heartless.

As Harry was thinking this, the red contractor showed up again.

"A cigarette cannot physically pass through a coin. There's actually a hole in the coin. Its cover is spring-loaded to snap open and closed." He sighed dramatically. "My payment is partially cruel: spilling the age-old secrets of magic tricks. It's absolute torture for a magician. But it's a fair deal—" He distorted the air and pulled out a machine gun. "I ruin a few parlor tricks and get to use real magic!"

Hei threw one of his knives at him and the three ran. The contractor batted the blade away. "And where are you going!?"

They ran into an open area by the river. They were trapped. Hei turned to Harry. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"Of course, but why?"

"Driving a sword through an occupied coffin." Hei pushed Suou behind him. Harry grabbed her arm and moved to the other side of the clearing as their attempted kidnapper appeared. "There's quite a few different methods, but they always decided before hand where they'll puncture. They plan it so the person inside simply contorts their body to miss the blade." Once again the man used his ability and pulled out a sword. He and Hei clashed blades, each desperately trying to get the upper hand. Hei tried to stab him, but the knife merely slipped into the air. "You see, I am a genuine magician. Abracadabra."

He pulled out his machine gun and fired, but Hei danced out of the way. After several shots and misses, the contractor was seething in frustration. "Just say still!"

Suou was huddled up beside Harry, watching the battle. She shivered. "Please, no more. No more killing…" Harry felt his chest go tight with guilt and tried to push it away.

As he dodged under the swing of the sword, Hei threw his coat up into the night sky. The other's eyes followed it. "A distraction? Heh." He looked down in time to see Hei lunge at him and hurried to intercept. Just before Hei struck, the coat fell between them and Hei used it as a barrier to stab the contractor in the chest.

He fell with Hei on top of him. Glowing with synchrotron radiation, Hei gripped the fallen man's head and—

"No!" Suou screamed. "Don't kill him!"

Hei looked up in time for four machines to come bursting out of the ground. He stood quickly as they buzzed and, when Hei tried to escape, they generated an electrical field, going around and through him.

He jerked in pain as he was electrocuted and, as his mask fell off, Hei screamed.


	4. Chapter 4 Episode 3

**Chapter 3 Episode 3**

Hei was screaming at the top of his lungs as the devices electrocuted him. Bursts of lightning were shooting out of the dome of power. Harry and Suou stood in horrified awe, frozen by the sudden sight of the stoic contractor in so much pain that he was _screaming—_

A lightning bolt broke off, hit Suou in the chest, and blasted her back, breaking Harry from his trance. A quick glance told him that she was fine. A familiar pressure swelled in Harry's chest and he lunged, grabbing one of the machines trapping his…the contractor.

It self-destructed, causing a chain reaction, and Hei collapsed to the ground.

* * *

 _"Well? Did it work?"  
"It…no. BK-201 wasn't in the electrical field long enough. We were barely able to get readings on him." _

_A crash. "Damn it!"_

* * *

Harry rubbed his hands and breathed into them, a warm glow appearing between his fingers. He laid his palms on the firewood he had scavenged from one of the less-needed walls in Nika's hideout. The scrap caught fire easily and soon a merry little fire burned in the makeshift fireplace.

That job done, Harry looked back at where Suou and Hei were laying, wearing only their essentials and wrapped in moth-eaten blankets. It had been an immense pain getting both unconscious bodies back there; the trip had even included a dip in the harbor. But there was no way that he would ever leave them. Ether of them.

The world was shaking, trembling. Harry pressed his fists to his eyes and released a shaky breath. "Papa…Shion…" he whimpered and then he sucked in a gasp of air. Not yet. Not yet. Suou still needed him to be strong. He had to be strong…for her.

Straightening up, Harry padded over to Hei. The man didn't seem injured by his electrical shock. However, Harry wasn't a doctor so as far as he knew, there could be some permanent nerve damage or he could never wake up. The idea sent a chill down Harry's spine. He crouched next to Hei, wanting to check his pulse and look for a fever. But the moment Harry touched his skin, Hei jolted awake and attacked him.

Harry grunted in pain as he crashed to the floor. Hei was crouched on top of him. An arm kept him pressed down as Hei checked their surroundings before focusing on him. "You saved me?" he gasped, voice rough with sleep. His expression hardened. "Why?"

"You saved Suou's life," Harry said, struggling to get up. "What else was I supposed to do? Leave you to get captured?"

* * *

Later, when both Hei and Suou were awake and Harry had finally collapsed in exhaustion, the two sat near the fire to wait out the night. The only sound was the cracking of the flames and the old building's creaks and groans.

"Why'd you kill my father?" Suou asked. Hei remained silent which only infuriated her. "Answer me, damn it! Tell me what's going on! Who were those people? Why do they all want Shion so bad? Do you have any idea how I feel since you murdered Papa!?"

"So you hate me and you want to kill me, right?" His voice was blank, giving her no hint of the contractor's emotions.

"Yes, I do hate you! But I'd rather die before I killed someone, even a murderer like you!"

"And just why is that?"

"Because you can't replace the people who die!" She stood up, her face flushed and her hands clenched into fists. "There's only one of them in the whole world! But then there's you! Someone so cold-blooded that I bet you could kill the person you love without even giving it a second thought!"

Hei lunged up and slapped her. The force of his blow sent her flying to the ground. "Shut up."

"Why…" she sobbed, unable to hold back her tears anymore. "Why's this all happening? Everything was fine up until yesterday…Now my twin is missing, and Papa and Bella and other people are dead… I can't take it anymore! I want this to stop! No more killing. I beg you… No one else needs to die!"

* * *

 _"The kid cried herself to sleep. I can't blame her. Up until the day before yesterday, she was just a middle school student… Surprised I'm here?"_

 _"Yeah, you could say that. So I guess it's true; your memories really are stored outside your body."_

 _"They are. When we last spoke inside the Hell's Gate, I didn't know we'd see each other again. But here we are, back on the job."_

 _"So just who is it that you answer to now?"_

 _"The same powers-that-be that you do, Hei."_

 _"The CIA, huh?"_

 _"No…Yes, her. And the reason I'm here is to give you your change in orders._

* * *

The sun peaked through the cracks in the shed as Harry and Suou packed up their things. Hei was sitting by the cold fireplace, checking his knives and gear. "So, do you have any idea where Shion is right now?"

"Ikebukuro," Harry answered without thinking.

"Ikebukuro?"

"Yeah, it's in Tokyo, near Hell's Gate. The area is strictly off-limits now, but Papa always told us to head there if the house was ever attacked. If we can't find Shion there, then we won't find him at all."

"Alright," Hei stood up and hovered over Harry. "You want to go to Japan? Then I'll take you there."

Harry stared up at him. He…would? Harry had expected the man to take them to his organization, or at least leave them to make their own way while he went ahead to capture Shion. But…to actually take them there? What was his angle?

The silence was shattered by a sharp trilling. "That's my phone!" Suou said, getting up and checking the caller id. "It's from Nika!"

Hei practically ran across the house to get to her, but wasn't in time to stop Suou from opening her phone. He snatched it away and snapped it in half. "Hey! What are you doing!?"

He ignored her question and subtly peered out the boarded up windows as the siblings watched in confusion. "We need to go," he said, eyes narrowed and focused out the window.

"Let's move, Suou," Harry said. They snuck out of the shack and just in time too. From a distance away, the trio watched as the military arrived and busted into the house.

"That answer your question?" Hei asked Suou. "They tracked us through your phone."

They started running towards the train station, Harry tugging Suou along. "What was that light just then?" She asked suddenly.

"Observation Specter," Hei replied. "Don't look at it, or it'll sense you." Hei stopped suddenly to stare at Suou. He and Harry exchanged a look before continuing on. She couldn't…but only contractors could see them, right?

Harry banished the thought from his mind, racing behind Hei until he stopped and pressed them against a wall. They peeked around the corner to see the train yard, along with several armed guards. "There. See the southbound train?" Hei pointed to one of the trains across from them and Harry nodded. "Try getting on it without being noticed. I'll go create a diversion."

" _What?_ " Harry whispered angrily—he was leaving them!?—but Hei ignored him, casually stepping out of the alley. Harry stayed where he was, waiting for Hei to do _whatever_ when he heard the sound of gun fire and screaming. Glancing out, he saw Hei holding off the guards with a machine gun. Grabbing Suou, they ran out with Hei covering their escape. They bolted between 2 train cars, only to be attacked by a swarm of bugs. Harry grit his teeth. Of course.

Tanya.

"Tanya!" Suou screamed as the bugs backed off. Harry eyed the swarm. He could probably set them on fire if necessary… "Why?"

"They made a deal with me," Tanya replied. "If I capture you, they will grant me a position with them. And that was the rational choice."

"But Tanya, I'm your friend! Doesn't that matter?"

Slowly, Harry cupped his hands to his face and blew. His palms heated up and an orange glow leaked out from between fingers.

"I'll ask the questions. Tell me, where is Shion Pavlichenko? Answer me."

"Tanya, stop!"

"I won't."

"Run!" Suddenly, Hei was on the train car above them, shooting down at Tanya, who dodged away. Harry and Suou ran to the next train. "I'm going. Take care of them, Mao."

"Who, me!?" The voice was at their feet. Harry looked down to see…a cat. Hei ran off towards the sound of bullets. "Ugh, don't blame me if anything happens!"

Suou took in the anomaly with visible shock. "That cat can talk!?"

The cat seemed offended. "Look, I'll explain later, but right now you have to follow me. And call me Mao." Mao hopped up on one of the rails. "Come on, climb up. Quick!" Harry helped Suou up and carried Mao to the top of the train car. They pressed their bodies flat to the roof. The sound of gunfire and screams sent nerve racking chills down Suou's spine. "From the sounds of things, Hei's already lured them away. We have to take advantage of that and escape now while we can."

They could see him being swarmed with Tanya's roaches. He couldn't see, couldn't fight. And there… Harry's eyes widened.

A train was heading right for Hei.

Harry sat up from his prone position and stared desperately as the train raced closer. Why wasn't he moving!? "Hei!" Harry screamed over the sound of the battle. "Move!"

He didn't know if Hei heard him or not because at that moment, the incoming train struck the one Hei had been in front of. This triggered a chain reaction, blowing up that entire area as the siblings watched in horror. Tears dripped down Suou's cheeks. "Oh, no… Not again please," she whispered, remembering flashes of the attack yesterday. "They're dead…all of them…"

A cloud of cockroaches flew at them and Harry covered Suou with his body. There was Tanya, staring up at them with that emotionless glare. "Die," was all she said.

"No, don't!" Suou pleaded. "Tanya, stop this! You and I are friends, aren't we?"

"No, that's incorrect. We were friends. But…if we were such good friends, how come I've never heard of Shion before? Does he even exist? Or could Shion just be you in disguise?"

"Don't be stupid!" Harry shouted, startling the girls. "We didn't tell anyone about Shion because we didn't want you to get hurt. The government is doing everything they can to get their hands on Shion! If anyone knew, they'd be interrogated and killed!"

Tanya was about to reply, but turned, having heard something behind her. And there was Nika, bloody and gripping a rail for support.

"I will not spare your life a second time." Tanya's voice was cold, compassionless. It was hard to imagine her sparing someone's life a first time, let alone a second.

"Nika…" Suou whispered before realization dawned on her. "Second time!? No, don't!"

Nika smiled and held out a hand. He had blood in his teeth. "Let's go home… What do you say, Tanya?"

She didn't say anything. Instead, she ripped out a clump of hair and her eyes lit up red. The bugs attacked at her command, bombarding Nika. He fell to the ground, screaming and flailing to get them off. "No, stop!" Suou screamed, sobs wreaking her small frame. "Please don't do this, Tanya! I'm begging you! Stop it! Don't hurt Nika!"

There was a loud crack and blood flowed out of the bugs as Nika stopped moving. The disgusting creatures fled to reveal…

Suou was going to be sick.

She couldn't stop looking at Nika's crushed corpse. "Nika… Not you too…" She couldn't think. She didn't want to think. Suou just wanted to drown in the cloud of numbness that suddenly overtook her. Her eyes went blank.

A blue glow surrounded her.

Harry took a step back in apprehension. She... He didn't… How…

"It can't be…" Mao muttered.

In Suou's head, she could only think on thing. Just one thing that would solve everything, that would make every problem she had in the last few days go away. Just one thing to make it all go away.

Contractors…all of them should die.

Suou flouted back, her body being supported by nothing. Her lucky charm drifted out of her coat and shined brightly. Suddenly, a long, bright pink shaft shot out of her necklace. The pink light disappeared like flower petals, revealing an anti-tank rifle.

She shot at Tanya, knocking her unconscious. With a quick flick of her fingers, she reloaded and fired again, into an oil tank which blew up all the insects. "120 degrees left. And three meters up. Ten centimeters more to the right." She shelled the contractor who drove that train into Hei. Bastard. "20 degrees right, then three meters down." Bam! The bullet knocked the glowing stick out of the masked woman's hands. Who was she? Suou didn't care. "110 degrees right, 50 centimeters down."

Tanya. Suou hesitated for a second, tears pouring down her face. She was about to pull the trigger when Harry pulled the rifle away. She stared up at him blankly and the light slowly came back into her eyes right before she collapsed in his arms. The gun shattered in a bath of light as Suou fell unconscious.

Harry jumped down with Suou in his arms. Hei, alive and unscathed, was waiting for him with Mao. "You saved me again," Hei commented.

"Of course," Harry said and turned. There was the little boy who had given Suou her coordinates. He was blonde, dressed in a grey cloak, and was staring at him with blank blue eyes. A Doll.

Hei stared down at the boy. "What's your name?"

"July," came the monotone reply.

"Wait, Hei, he's with MI6—" Mao tried to say, but Harry and Hei ignored him.

They began to walk away. "Come on," Hei ordered and led them out of the warzone.


	5. Chapter 5 Episode 4

**Chapter 4: Episode 4**

 **There was a whale next to our ship when I woke up. My first urge was that I should take a picture of it. But I didn't. I don't even know why I would want to. It's not like I had a particular reason to take one.**

* * *

The truck jumped again, going over a pothole. Harry ignored it. He'd been ignoring a lot of things lately.

"It's kind of shocking to see cranes flourish in the aftermath of Heaven's War," Mao commented from his place on Suou's lap. She nodded absentmindedly. Harry hid a wince.

"Close the tarp," Hei ordered. "We're about to enter the city." He noticed the blank look Suou was giving him. "What?"

"Nothing." She closed the tarp, plunging the room into darkness.

Soon they reached their destination. As Hei paid off the driver, Harry held Suou and July out of the truck. He wrinkled his nose. This place smelled like shit.

"Well, hello there!" Harry turned to see a woman in a blue dress with a heavy amount of stubble around her mouth.

Hei tensed minutely, then turned around with a smile. "Hi. How's it going?"

The woman's eyes sparkled in obvious interest. "Hot damn, aren't you gorgeous!" Harry's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Is there a sewer leak around here?"

"No, no," the woman laughed a bit, nervous. "Just reeking cats." She clearly wasn't paying any attention to Mao, who was in Suou's arms, glaring at her. "Uh…but don't let the smell frighten you away or anything. So, what's your name?"

"Oh, it's Li. Li Hyeonsik."

"And I'm Mina, his girlfriend," Harry cut in, pitching his voice into something more feminine. "We just moved into the neighborhood. It's nice to finally meet a neighbor here. And these are my siblings." He gestured to the kids. "Jules and Sadie."

"Oh?" The woman seemed vaguely disappointed. "You don't say."

Hei grabbed July and Suou and pushed them in front of him. "We got to get going, but we'll see you around." They began to walk away, and as soon as the woman was out sight, he pushed their heads together. "You need to learn to smile."

"I'm not certain my body knows how," July relied.

Suou wrestled out of Hei's grip. "Why do you care if we smile?"

"Because our client cares," Hei answered. "They've instructed me to train you to become an agent."

Harry inspected the contractor. He'd never mention a client before, nor that they knew Suou was now a contractor.

"What if I don't want to?"

Hei's eyes narrowed in annoyance and he clasped his free hand over her mouth. Harry stiffened. "You never talk back to me. That's your first lesson in survival."

* * *

"Adjust 18 centimeters to the left." Suou followed July's instructions, taking aim at the glass bottle in the water. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Wind speed three, blowing from the south. Target distance 1200."

Her finger just barely touched the trigger when a heavy foot stomped down on her back. "Wait for the construction noise before you fire. Try thinking for once," Hei grumbled condescendingly. Suou grit her teeth, refraining from snapping back. "Look through the scope. We'll change targets. Shift right, adjust down."

Suou's breath caught as her eyes landed on a crane through her scope. She glanced at Hei, who was looking out of the shack through a gap in the wood. "Perfect. A moving target."

A moving target. The words echoed through her head as July rattled off the coordinates. "Southeastern winds. Distance 300. Wind speed four. Adjust five millimeters right." Forcibly loosening her shoulders, Suou lined up the shot and fired.

Two cranes flew through the air.

She looked away from the scope. "The coordinates must have been off."

"You'd better learn to lie if you're going to be a contractor."

Rage pulsed through her. Lifting up her rifle, she hoisted it over her head and pointed it at Hei's back. "I won't miss this time."

Mao whistled. "Man, talk about a tough little kid. So, what? Are you going to kill him just because he's nagging you?"

"I'm not a murderer," Suou snapped. "I knew that much long before I ever met you. But it's time you listened to me. My brother and I are going to Tokyo—that's the only reason we're still with you. But if you lay a finger on—"

Hei moved faster than lightning, pushing aside her gun and assaulting her with punches so fast that Suou didn't know they landed until she was tossed out into the snow. She glared up at Hei, who just took another swallow of his vodka. "Don't do that again," he ordered. "Just follow my instructions."

Mao appeared in the doorway. "Contractor or not, she's just a kid, Hei. They die more easily, you know?"

At that moment, Harry walked towards them, having been missing for the past hour. He looked no worse than before, his long hair loose for a more convincing "Mina" and a grocery bag in one hand. "Where have you been?" Hei asked.

"Getting dinner." Harry held up his bag. "I've also found us a place to stay. There's an abandoned hotel 15 minutes from here with running water. No electricity or heat, but the walls are thick enough to keep out the cold."

Hei nodded. "Okay, you four go ahead. Eat dinner." He began walking away.

"And what about your dinner?" Mao asked. Hei didn't turn around. "He used to eat more than you could imagine, and now he drinks every damn meal out of a bottle."

"Can't believe I'm in a love hotel with a couple of kids and another guy," Mao complained as he jumped onto the heart-shaped bed. Harry rolled his eyes and bit into his granola bar. "Well, I guess that makes it a pretty good hideout." He looked at what Harry and Suou were eating. "Are you sure that's going to be enough food for you?"

Suou shook her head. "We're fine, but tell me. Do you know who this "client" is? Why did they hire us? It's another contractor, isn't it? Why do they want me trained?"

"You're full of questions. If you're so worried about it, why don't you run away? It's not like it's my job to keep an eye on you or anything."

"I'm going to, someday. It's just…" She glanced at Harry. "Harry says it's not safe yet."

"Oh?" Mao sounded surprised. "And why's that?"

"We're against people who don't care about killing civilians or blowing up train stations," Harry said. "I'd rather be forced to work with someone I hate than be captured by them. If Hei offers us the best chance of getting them off our back or fighting them off, then it is better to stay."

"How logical of you. One could almost mistake you for a contractor too."

* * *

"Now undulate."

Suou quickly switched from swaying her hips to rocking them back and forth. Hei continued instructing her. "Try to suck in your stomach more. Your concentration is on the abdomen. Ebb and flow, just like a wave."

"Why do I have to do this?" Suou eyed Harry enviously. _He_ didn't have to do this.

"The stomach is the core of your movement. Your muscles are too weak right now. Dancing will strengthen them, and loosen you up." Suddenly, a sharp pain lanced through Suou's gut. She doubled over with her arms clutching her midriff. "What's wrong?"

"My stomach…" she groaned.

"What about it?" Was there a hint of concern in his voice?

She felt Harry's warm hands on her back and relaxed slightly before another jolt ran through her. "I don't think I should've eaten that ramen yesterday…"

"Ramen?" Hei and Harry asked in unison.

"Hey, check it out." Suou looked up to see a group of teenagers across the street looking at them. Hei followed her gaze.

"Perfect. Field training. Confront them and then escape."

Suou straightened, fighting through the pain. "But what's the point?"

"Don't question my training. Escape without using your ability. And don't kill them."

She rolled her eyes, but began to walk towards the teens. One elbowed his friend with dreadlocks and she heard him say, "Hey, here she comes, Norio."

Dreadlocks—Norio—shoved him back. "That's not cool, man. Shut up."

The big one stepped in front of his other friends as she got close and called out. "Sup, little girl. You coming to play with us big kids?" Suou's eyes narrowed. "That's nice. You're actually kinda cute up close."

"Dude, shut up!" Norio hit him. "Don't talk to her like that!"

"You ever thought about dating an older man?" The blond one asked, pointing at Norio. "He likes you."

The fat one lunged at her and Suou dodged easily. "Oh, you wanna play tag?" His arm shot out at her. She grabbed it, twisted it, and wrenched it behind his back. A sharp crack filled the air.

The teen jumped away and held out his broken arm. "Whoa, look at this. This is really badass. I didn't even know I could bend it this way. No, wait…" He realized what had happened and screamed in pain. "Oh, sweet crap! That hurts really freaking bad!"

Suou tried to walk away, than the blond moved to stop her, just as she'd hoped. "No, no, no! Where the hell do you think you're going!?" The blond started to punch at her. Suou managed to dodge most of them before he finally got lucky.

"Hold on!" Norio yelled. "She's only a kid!"

"So, what!?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Suou noticed a cop car pull up to the curb as Norio pulled the blond away. "I told you to cut it out, man! Violence is only gonna make everything worse!"

"She's the violent one, you idiot!"

The cops got out of their car and walked towards them. "That's not good…" The fat one muttered. "Run!" The teens took off one way while Suou went the other.

"Hey! Wait up!" Norio shouted after her.

"Come on, Norio!"

Suou dashed through the streets, glancing around for any sign of Hei or July or _Harry. She wanted Harry._ She _hated_ this! She just wanted to be normal, to have Shion and Papa and Bella back—

"Over here." Suou looked into a nearby alley to see Harry and July. Relief washed over her as July grabbed her hand. "This way."

July led them through the city, sending out his specter in order to avoid the cops. As they were running, Suou clutched her stomach. "Oh no…what's wrong with me?"

Halfway through an alley, they ran across that guy Norio. He was weirdly happy to see her, considering that she had just beat up his friends and brought the police down on them. "I found you!" he exclaimed. "Um, I'm sorry. About my friends. They're jerks sometimes, but I'm a nice guy! So, do you maybe wanna, like, hang out and talk? No fighting or anything, just talking. So, what's your name?"

Suou doubled over and glared up at Norio through her bangs. "Move."

"Oh, right. You probably wanna know my name first, don't you?" he continued to babble. "I'm Norio. Most of my friends just call me "Nori" for short."

"What's wrong with you? Just get out of my way…"

"I hope this doesn't sound weird, but you make me feel alive!"

She glared up at him, her pupils a bright red. Norio flinched back. _"Move, damn it!"_ Still hunched over, Suou materialized her rifle, aimed it so it just missed the boy, and fired. The bullet went right past his ear before becoming imbedded in the wall. Norio fell on his back and Suou dropped her gun, allowing it to disappear. The pain in her gut…was this what it was like to be stabbed?

Harry scooped her up and began running. Suou pressed her head against his shoulder. "Harry, what's happening to me?"

He tightened his grip. "I'm…not sure, Suou."

Soon, he set her down. She could almost walk by then. "Oh, the siblings are back." They turned to see the woman from yesterday. "You don't…look so hot. Did you eat rotten food or something?"

* * *

"I named this place "Noah's Ark," because I wish I could fix history somehow." Harry watched as the woman took a drag of her cigarette as Suou folded a tiny crane. "They only bothered to save one female and one male of each animal from the flood. So closeminded. What about us that aren't men or women? Are we supposed to drown?"

She had directed that question at Harry. He laughed sheepishly. "Guess it didn't take long for you to tell, huh?"

She smirked at him then placed something on the counter in front of Suou. "Here. You're lucky. You were born with a boarding pass on the Ark."

Suou picked up the box and pills hesitantly. "Solid wings in order to protect and prevent any leakage?"

"You don't want the Ark to sink, and you simply cannot fly without wings."

Harry passed Suou his water. "Here, use this to take the pills. They'll help with the pain." She nodded and did so.

Suddenly, the door of the restaurant opened. "Hey Dad, I'm hungry—" Norio walked in and the moment he saw Suou, his face turned bright red.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Do you two know each other?" In response, Norio sputtered and ran up the stairs. "Poor kid. Puberty's rough, man."

"I see." Suou said quietly. "He's acting like Nika."

"Nika?" The woman said in surprise. The sound of yowling could be heard through the walls. "What now? I pray those cats aren't heat."

Harry dug out a few rumpled bills from his pocket and placed them on the table. "Thank you for the food and…others. Let's go you two."

When they exited the restaurant, Mao jumped out of nowhere and landed on Suou's face. "Well that was kind of weird."

Walking in a line, the human, doll, and contractors began to trudge back to the hotel. "He's nothing like him, but he acted just the same," Suou told Mao. "It was almost identical. He had the exact same expression as when Nika confessed his love."

"So, you've got an admirer, huh?"

"No dating until you're 30," Harry said immediately. "Same for you, July."

They ignored him. "But I don't understand. I got excited and my heart tightened when I overheard Nika tell Tanya how he felt. But I didn't feel a single thing when Norio confessed his feelings to me."

"Well, you're a contractor now." Mao said it like it explained everything. "But I'm sure it'll make sense when you become a woman."

"Actually, I'm already a woman."

"Excuse me?"

* * *

When they arrived back at the hotel, Harry was expecting a lot of things, from Hei passed out on the couch to the military at their door. However, he didn't expect Hei to take one look at Suou and backhand her across the face.

"You used your ability," he said in between drinks, as though it was an adequate excuse. "There's no hiding it. I can still tell."

"She wasn't trying to hide it," Harry growled. His hands curled into fists, nails digging into flesh. He had to refrain from punching that blank look off Hei's stupid, handsome face. He couldn't fight him. Harry needed to use him, as a trainer for Suou and a protector for them both, just until they got to Japan.

Because just like Suou, Harry would to anything to find to Shion safely.


	6. Chapter 6 Episode 5

**Chapter 5: Episode 5**

Harry watched as Suou took careful aim and fired, the sound drowned out by the construction work nearby. "Shot deviation: two centimeters," July said, removing his hand from the glass bottle.

"Two centimeters?" Mao asked, impressed. "That's practically a bulls-eye from this distance."

"Only three shells left," Harry commented as Suou pocketed the bullets and began to clean the rifle. "Does that mean you've got only three more times you can fire that gun before it's gone for good?"

Suou shook her head, her focus still locked onto the gun with a small smile on her face. "No. Next time I use it, there will be a round in the chamber, and five will appear in my pocket. But it doesn't repair the wear and tear from the last time I fired it, so I have to keep it maintained."

Harry blinked in surprise. Suou had never told him this. Was she… What else hasn't she told him? He bit the inside of his cheek. There was no need to get worked up. They haven't been talking very much recently. She definitely would have told him if there wasn't this damn tension between them.

"You seem like you're actually enjoying doing it," Mao said.

"Yeah, I do." She didn't elaborate, but Harry knew why. Papa taught her how to shoot. It was familiar. Safe.

Suddenly Hei, who had been watching from the shadows, stepped forward and threw some money down on Suou's lap. "Go get some lunch," he ordered gruffly, acting like he didn't care what she did. Suou grabbed the money and led July and Mao out of the gloomy shack. Harry was about to follow behind them when Hei grabbed his arm. "Not you."

Harry turned, an eyebrow raised challengingly. "Excuse me?"

"You want to protect your sister, right?" Harry nodded. "Then you have to learn to fight back if you're ever going to keep up with a contractor. You can't just run away anymore."

Oh, really? "You assume I don't already know how to fight." There were benefits to insisting on being homeschooled for 2 years and choosing what he wanted to study was one of them.

Hei stared down at Harry, his navy eyes staring into his soul. "Then prove it."

"With pleasure." And without any other warning, Harry kicked Hei back into the shack.

* * *

They were back in that restaurant from the day before, Noah's Ark. While Suou would rather avoid Norio, his father—Lebanon, she told her—was very nice. The food was good too.

"Something nutritious and tasty, huh?" Lebanon asked. "Hmm, come to think of it, I'm not really sure what contractors eat." She smiled slyly. "Maybe some raw meat?"

Suou felt her heart clench in fear, something it hadn't done since she'd become a contractor. "Did your son tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"That I'm a contractor."

She shook her head. "Nobody had to tell me, sweetie. You see, my ex-wife turned out to be one."

"Your ex-wife? I see…"

"Believe it or not, but there was a time when I would've fit in just fine aboard Noah's Ark." She walked into the kitchen and came out with a picture of a young couple with a baby. Lebanon had a nostalgic look in her eye. "I figured I would give it a shot, mostly because I was terrified of disappointing my parents. So I married Michiru." She tapped the brown-haired woman in the picture with her pointer finger. "But she did love to bake, so that was nice.

"Norio was about three when it happened. She became a contractor. By the time I realized, she had taken off in the middle of the night. I do still wonder about her from time to time…" Taking back the photo, Lebanon went back into the kitchen and brought out to bowls of stew for Suou and July. 'All right, bon appetite." Gratefully, Suou picked up her spoon and began eating. "Is it good?"

"Mm-hm."

Lebanon smiled. "Make sure you eat all of it. Liver helps to replenish the blood, which you could definitely use right now." She pounded her fist into her hand. "You know what? I've got just the thing for you."

Suou tilted her head. "Hm?"

Once Lebanon was finished loading them both up with everything the woman thought they'd need, Suou thanked her and led July out. They started to walk back to the hotel when Norio's voice rang out from the roof. "My star is falling from the sky! My payment becomes an undying passion burning inside me as long as my stars falling from the Heavens! Falling in love with you!"

Suou didn't bother saying anything; she just rolled her eyes and continued walking.

"Hey! Wait!" Norio called out, scrambling down. He soon caught up with her. "So, did my dad tell you? My mom is a contractor. Can you believe it? We must be destined to be together. No wonder I love you."

"Why do you think you love me? Tell me," Suou ordered. "You don't know a single thing about me."

"Then tell me about yourself."

"But why?"

"Uh, well…" Norio's face turned a bright red, like Nika's did when he confessed to Tanya. Suou's stomach curdled. "Because I think you're more beautiful than any star in the artificial sky."

Clenching her jaw, Suou grabbed July's hand, leaving Norio behind. "Come visit Noah's Ark anytime!" He called out into the cold Russian night.

* * *

Everything hurt.

A groan escaped Harry's lips as he tried to suffocate himself in the snow. Hei had completely defeated him. Harry had been able to hold his own for a while, but that was hard to do when your opponent had seemingly endless stamina. Damn contractor and his stupid fighting skill…

Soon enough, Hei returned from wherever he had been. Harry didn't care. "Get up," Hei told him. Harry glared, but did as he was told. The two began to walk back to the hotel, Hei leading while Harry forced his body to trudge along. "Your fighting style…what was it?" Hei asked suddenly, taking Harry off guard.

"Uh…Caporia. It's technically a Brazilian dance, but it works well in a fight."

"Where did you learn it?"

"Papa hired a lot of physical therapists and teachers for me once I got better. He wanted me to learn self-defense and I chose Caporia."

Hei stopped and turned to look at him. "'Got better?'"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I was sick for a long time. No one could explain it. It was like all my energy was being drained out of me; I could only move around for about an hour a day, I couldn't create body heat… I was a mess. Then, two years ago, I got better without any explanation."

"The Hell's Gate Incident?"

"The very day of it. Papa suspected something, but… I'll never know now." Harry looked down and away.

"Harry, I—"

An explosion rang through the air and Harry saw smoke rising from…their hotel room. Adrenaline awakened his limbs as terror gripped Harry's heart. He pushed past Hei, finding the energy to spirit all the way to their room. Harry flung open the door and skidded to a stop, Hei almost knocking into him.

There was Mao, July, and Suou, all perfectly fine. Suou was still holding her rifle, staring at the new hole in the wall. "What the hell are you doing?" Hei barked at her, showing the most emotion Harry's ever seen from him.

"I borrowed a pot and stove from Ms. Lebanon," Suou said like it had something to do with the question asked. She dropped the gun and allowed it to disappear in a flash of pink light.

"Your point?"

Mao jumped up on the counter beside them. "She's a bit shaken up," he told them. "Just give her a minute. She opened the pot, and a cockroach came scurrying out. And boom."

Hei looked at her. "Explain."

"Because I hate roaches. Are you going to hit me now?" Harry's heart skipped a beat. "Just hurry up and get it over with, all right? But hit me on my left side this time."

Hei was apparently as confused as Harry was. "What?"  
"The right side of my face is still sore from the last night, so you should probably balance it out." She waited for Hei to hit her, and then grew angry when he just stared at her. "Hurry, all right!?"

"You've got me confused," Hei said before leaving the room.

Harry glanced one last time at the contractor before going to comfort his sister.

* * *

 _"You're going to freeze to death."_

 _"…A cockroach, huh?"_

 _"Yeah. It's not surprising. Remember her friend? She's getting used to being a contractor, but I doubt she's going to shake that trauma anytime soon. Going by what she told me the other day, I think she might've been in love with that kid. Well, I doubt she likes a single person now."_

 _"So I'm not any different than a cockroach."_

 _"Hmm?"_

* * *

Harry was just waking up, curled up beside Suou and July inside the bathroom tub. It was the 4th time he'd woken up; despite his best efforts, the tub was not comfortable. Blearily, Harry watched Hei barge into the bathroom. "Ever heard of knocking?" Harry asked, his mouth going faster than his brain.

"There's someone here."

Well _that_ woke Harry up. He sat up, inadvertently waking the kids up. "How many are down there? Any contractors?"

"There's three total. Only one is a contractor."

As quietly as they could, Harry got the kids ready and their things together. Harry swallowed an anxious lump in his throat. They'll be okay. They had Hei here to protect them—

"I'll distract them," Hei said, unknowingly destroying Harry's illusion of safety. "You four stick together and head down to the lobby. Escape out the front door. We'll meet up at the usual spot."

Mao led them down to the lobby as the sounds of a battle began above them. Water gushed out of burst pipes and moved on its own. Fortunately it ignored them, but that did nothing to alleviate Harry's worry.

Soon the four of them fled out the door. They crept passed several people, Harry's heart thumping all the way, until their apparent opponents were out of sight. They then sprinted to the shack across town, sticking to the alleyways and relying on July's specter to led them and scout ahead.

Once they reached the shack, Suou collapsed onto the floor. Harry sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey. How are you doing?" Suou muttered something Harry couldn't hear. "What was that?"

"This is my fault. If I hadn't shot that hole in the wall…"

"No." Harry cut her off before she could finish. "This isn't your fault. And even if it is, no one blames you. Besides, if they managed to find us from something as small as you putting a hole in the wall, then they must have been searching the area already."

"He was a point, you know," Mao spoke up. "With all the resources the government has, it wouldn't have taken them long to find us anyway. I doubt we would have had more than another week there."

"I know that, but…if I hadn't freaked out…if I wasn't a contractor…"

"No," he said, cutting her off again. "It's not your fault. I don't care if you're a contractor or not; you're my sister and I'm not going to let you blame yourself for something you're not responsible for."

She looked at him and for one moment Harry could have sworn that he saw affection in Suou's eyes. They've been blank for days, emotionless mirrors. But now… She scoffed. "You're such a mother."

After waiting for about 20 more minutes, Hei finally arrived. The first words out of his mouth were, "It's time for more target practice."

Harry frowned. "Is that really the first thing you're going to say to us?"

Hei glanced at him, then at Suou, before pointing out across the lake at some cranes. "Same target as before. But this time…no excuses."

Suou stood. "There's no reason to kill them!" She argued. "That's why I can't shoot. You want me to practice with a moving target, but I don't get why it has to be alive. There simply isn't a reason for them to—"

"There is a reason. A good one—to finally get you behaving like a contractor."

Glaring at Hei, Suou did as he ordered.

The noise of a gunshot was swallowed by the constant construction work.

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know," Suou whispered. "I really don't."

* * *

The plant was easily pulled up by Suou, adding to the small pile cupped in her hands. She studied them. This should be enough. Going back inside, she added the plants to the boiling pot of water and stirred.

"Don't tell me that's dinner," Mao complained. "You know those are weeds, right?"

"Yeah, but they're edible. My dad told me about them," she scooped some out into a bowl and offered it to Hei. She would have given it to Harry but he fell asleep not too long ago. "Here." Hei took the meal and started eating. Suou waited in anticipation. She'd never cooked before, that was Harry's job, so… "Well?"

"Taste doesn't really matter. It's full of nutrients."

"Well," Mao scoffed. "That sure is a winning endorsement. Let me teach myself not to care about taste real fast."

Suou served July and herself before Hei's bowl was shoved in her face. "Seconds."

The four ate in silence, each eating Suou's…meal without complaint. Finally, Hei spoke.

"You've been assigned a mission."


End file.
